


My Body is My Journal, and My Tattoos are My Story

by SummerRaine14



Series: Bughead Tattoos [1]
Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Future Fic, Light Angst, Tattoos
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-09
Updated: 2018-03-09
Packaged: 2019-03-28 12:40:13
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,722
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13904226
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SummerRaine14/pseuds/SummerRaine14
Summary: Jughead and Betty broke up years ago and reunite at the grand opening of Veronica's clothing store in New York, the dress she is wearing reveals a small tattoo on her ribs, when Jughead notices, he asks about it. At first her face goes red and she tries to ignore her embarrassment, but he pulls up his dress shirt and reveals his own small tattoo on his side





	My Body is My Journal, and My Tattoos are My Story

**Author's Note:**

> Originally going into this, this was supposed to be 100% tattoo fluff, but me being me, created an angsty start and couldn't seem to help myself. However, I hope the end makes up for that!
> 
> Also, any of you who are on Tumblr, need to check out the AMAZING aesthetic by bettycoopr, which is posted on my page srainerobron!! Seriously, y'all, she's incredibly talented and it's so beautiful!

Betty woke up and immediately wanted to close her eyes and put off getting up as much as possible. She had known for over a month that this day was coming, her and Veronica were having dinner in New York after her 6pm Journalism course when the big news was shared. 

 

_ “So, we’ve finally set a date.” Veronica smiled as she put down her wine glass.  _

 

_ Betty looked up with a smile that matched her best friends, “That’s great, V.” But both their smiles quickly disappeared when Betty realized what this meant. She looked at her friend and sighed, “It’s okay. He’s Archie’s best friend and Archie is your partner, he’s obviously going to be there. I knew I’d have to face him eventually, but it’s going to be your night. You deserve this.” Betty smiled once more and tried to reassure her friend, despite the feeling that rested inside herself, she refused to ruin this night for Veronica.  _

 

She had meant what she said that night, the event tonight was for Veronica. Her best friend had been waiting the last five years to open her clothing store in New York. It was a dream she carried throughout High School and worked towards right after graduation, tonight was going to be a good night and Betty would make sure of that. She sighed as she pulled her comforter off and got up to begin facing the day. The sun was shining in through her thing curtains, and her alarm had kept going until she grabbed her phone to stop it. She took one look at herself in the mirror and groaned. The fact that she had been up the previous night was clear on her face, she looked restless and sad, which she didn’t have nearly enough time to try and fix. Veronica would be there in an hour and they would be spending the day at the store, making sure all final touches were done and everything was perfect, per Hermione and Veronica’s request, Betty had to be there to help. As she pulled out a hair of jeans and a black hoodie, Betty knew what looks she’d be getting from her best friend, but she was sure the dress she had picked out for the night would make up for it. Betty loved Veronica, but she was going to be comfortable until the possible moment. Another sigh fell from her mouth as she heard the door open and the sound of heels clicking against her hardwood floors. 

"B, what are you wearing?” Veronica cried as Betty entered the living room, “This is the opening of a CLOTHING store, you need fashion!” 

“Ronnie chill. I’m not bothering to get dressed for the opening until later. We have like 6 hours, I’ll get ready in the bathroom there.” She smiled, picking up a bag that was set on the couch, “Besides, I have all my makeup, hair products, shoes and jewelry in this bag. And-” Betty grabbed the dress she had hanging up, “Here’s my dress.” Instantly, Veronica’s expression changed, her annoyed, displeased frown turned into a wide smile that said approval. Betty knew it would.

“I’ll try and keep mom off your back, but if anyone catches you walking into Raven Collection in that outfit, you’re going to pay.” Betty knew how seriously Veronica took this, it was a business after all, but the smile on her friend’s face told her she had nothing to worry about. “Come on, let’s go. Lots of finishing touches to be made, and I can’t wait to help you get all dolled up.” Veronica giggled, “Who knows, maybe you’ll even get lucky tonight.” She winked, as Betty finished getting her shoes on she groaned. She knew that the mention of her ‘getting lucky’ would be inevitable with who was attending tonight’s event, but it was the last thing she wanted to talk about when it was 10am and she hadn’t fallen asleep until half past two because of the man who couldn’t seem to leave her mind. 

“Let’s not go there right now, V.” She sighed. Following her friend as she walked out of the apartment. 

 

They arrived at the store about forty minutes later and with every red light or long line of traffic there was a new complaint from Hermione or Veronica. Even after all these years, it still amazed Betty how stuck up her best friend could be. There was a clear change from when Veronica first moved to Riverdale, but coming back to the city definitely brought out that side of her again. She knew Veronica was stressed, and she understood that, but the way her and her mother could complain about the littlest of things on any given day still surprised her. As the two women complained, Betty took the time to enjoy the city they drove through. Her mind had been filled with images of a small town and man for over a month now, and especially the past few days, but with the busy Saturday morning New York traffic, she was able to have her mind on something else,  _ finally.  _ As she stepped inside the building, her entire thought process changed. Of course, Veronica had given Betty details about how the store was coming along, but she had actually not gotten the chance to see it yet. It was a beautiful, large building with glass doors and floor to ceiling windows, the flooring was a dark marble and the walls were a dark purple, a large sign hung above the check out desk that matched the dark colour scheme and had a raven on it beside the words “ Raven Collection” which Betty knew was on all the price tags for the items, as Veronica was more than happy to share that with her as soon as they were finished being made. Betty continued to look around in awe when her eyes met with the same dark blue eyes she used to get lost in every day, the same blue eyes she hadn’t seen in person for over five years. She took a step back without even realizing it, Betty had known he was going to be at the opening, but didn’t expect to see him now. He went to say something, but before any words came out, Betty was exiting through the front door. She ran around the side of the building and tears fell from her eyes, if this was what it was like after not even a minute in each other’s presence, she had no idea how she was going to survive the night.

 

“Betty?” She heard a voice and knew instantly it was Archie. 

“Look, I didn’t know you’d be coming with Ronnie this early. If I had-”

“Archie stop, I know that I’d have to face him eventually anyway. It’s been five years, we’ve both moved on. So, it’s fine.” She tried to let out a small smile, but it was hard pushing through the tears that still fought their way out. Archie gave her a sympathetic smile and touched her arm,

“Okay. But, we are leaving now, so if you’d like to stay out here until we go, then you can. I’ll just tell Veronica I couldn’t find you.” Betty was thankful to have a friend like Archie, despite everything that happened with her and Jughead, he never picked sides and was always there to support their decisions, even when he didn’t exactly agree with them. Archie would never voice his opinion, that he thought his two best friends were absolute idiots and needed to figure their shit out and find their ways back to each other, instead, he would sit and listen as each of them came to him with their issues. Betty finally smiled and that was enough for him to take it as a ‘yes’ and proceeded to go back around the building. As she stood there alone, Betty found herself doing what she had been a lot lately, she placed her hand above her ribs on the left side of her body and let out a small sob before wiping away her tears, once again. Betty watched as Archie drove away, and as she caught a glimpse of Jughead in the window of the truck, she let out one final sob before wiping away the remaining tears that rolled onto her cheeks and walked back into the store.

 

She really shouldn't have been surprised when as soon as she stepped foot inside, Veronica was asking to talk about what happened. Everyone knew what had happened, Betty and Jughead were high school sweethearts who were in love, but when he transferred to Southside High and fell in deep with the Serpents, eventually it became too much. Their love lasted until graduation when Jughead ended it and said he had feelings for someone else. Someone who understood him better. Betty spent months on end crying about losing the man she loved, a relationship she never thought would end. Veronica was there every step of the way and her and Archie went to extreme lengths to make sure they never crossed paths. Of course, that was much easier when Jughead stayed behind in Riverdale and continued on in the Serpents while Betty began taking courses at NYU. They knew this day was going to come, but Veronica and Archie thought that after so many years, it would be okay. Betty told her that it was just hard because they hadn't seen each other since the break up, and that the first time was obviously going to be difficult. However, she proceeded to repeat her words from earlier and tell her today was about the opening of the store and that there was no need to worry about her interacting with Jughead. Before either one of them knew it, it was half past two and they needed to start getting ready. As Veronica promised earlier, she got Betty all dolled up before getting herself ready and stepping out to greet her mother once again. 

Betty felt her body go weak as she took one last look in the mirror, it wasn’t often that Betty got dressed up these days. Her and Veronica made it out once every few months to a bar on a Saturday night, but between her classes and part-time waitress job, she never cared to put much effort into her appearance. Her hair was down in long blonde waves and her makeup was natural, it matched well to her dress. She picked out a dark green skin tight cocktail dress that ended mid-thigh, the sides were open, revealing her under-boob and showing off her tanned skin and some of her abs. She was nervous about the dress, it wasn’t like Betty to wear things that showed a lot of her upper body and she knew there would be more than a few comments from Veronica about what she would see. She didn’t care though, because as soon as she found out  _ he  _ would be here, Betty knew she had to wear something like this. She stepped out into the room and was amazed at the amount of people who filled up the building. Of course, there were connections from Lodge Industries who made appearances, but as soon as she caught the sight of  _ him _ no one else in the room mattered. Their eyes met the same way they had earlier that day, only this time she didn’t look away. Instead, she began walking towards him and surprised herself with the confidence that came with every step she took. 

“Hi.” Was all she could manage to get out, as she stood so close to him, her worries and the feeling inside her from earlier returned. This was  _ Jughead,  _ the man she once used to be able to talk to about everything, and now she couldn’t say more than a one syllable word. It was pathetic really, they grew up together, they were friends before they were lovers, but standing here, she was at a loss for any words. 

He was the same way as he gulped before setting his drink down on the the counter beside him and saying, “Hi.” Just like Betty, he couldn’t think of anything to say. The last time the two of them had a conversation, Jughead managed to break both of their hearts with a world of lies. Not a day had gone by in the last five years that he didn’t regret that decision, and despite not running out and crying like Betty had done earlier, he felt his heart break all over again when their eyes met. The girl he once loved, the girl he  _ still  _ loved was standing in front of him and talking to him for the first time in five years and all he could think about was how beautiful she looked in that dark green dress. It made him think about how good she would look in a Serpent jacket, the dark green embroidery on the back fitting so well with her flawless skin. Jughead hated himself for thinking like that when it was the Serpents that tore them apart to begin with, but he couldn’t stop himself. “It’s loud in here.” Jughead complained, and Betty found it hard to bite back her laugh. Jughead Jones was never one for public gatherings and she wasn’t surprised in the slightest that he would hate the rush of this event. He took a deep breath and smiled slightly, “Do you want to go talk outside?” Betty nodded without saying any words and followed Jughead through the crowd of people, as they were walking Jughead saw something on Betty’s ribs that he couldn't seem to look away from. His eyes went wide and as soon as they were outside he asked, “Betts?” She turned to face him, a feeling of nostalgia running through her body at the use of her old nickname, a name no one else dare ever call her. “Your tattoo.” Jughead said, placing a hand on her ribs above the small silver crown under her left breast. Her face flushed red and she tried to fight back the embarrassment, she knew he would see it, and she had pictured this conversation happening, but here in the moment she could have never predicted the feeling she had. Almost like she  _ needed  _ him to be okay with it. 

“Jug I-” Betty began to speak but stopped when she saw him pull up his shirt to real a small dark tattoo of a typewriter that resembled the one she got him for Christmas all those years ago. Tears began to fill her eyes as she lifted her hand and traced it gently with her fingers, “How long?” She asked, though it wasn’t a full question he knew what she was asking. 

“The day after you left.” He admitted, her breathing picked up as the tears threatened their way out of her eyes and rolled down her cheeks. “Betts, when I told you there was someone else, it wasn’t true. There was never anyone but you, but I knew me being in the Serpents was dangerous and I needed to protect you. It hurt so much to let you go, I went to your house, but Alice said you’d already left the previous day. Sweet Pea was going out for a tattoo and asked if I wanted to join, instantly I knew what I wanted. It’s selfish, but I  _ needed  _ to always have a piece of you with me.” Jughead wasn’t one to cry, but remembering those days, the earlier days being the hardest of their split. His silent pain as he dealt with everything, it was all coming back to him as his hand still rested on her tattoo and her fingers still tracing over his own. 

“I got mine on your first birthday after I left.” She whispered, pushing through the tears with a shaky voice. “I thought about the previous year and how I screwed up so bad, I wanted to do something for you, even if you didn’t know about it. No one knows, not even Veronica.” She chuckled lightly, guessing that Archie and Veronica didn’t know about Jughead’s either or they most likely would’ve said something. 

“Why?” He asked, still not able to take his hand away from her tattoo, nor lifting his gaze from it as he admired the beautiful toned body it was permanently on. Feeling almost proud of himself for marking her. 

“Do you remember the car race you had with the Ghoulies?” She asked, he shook his head, flinching at the memory of those times. “I told you I never stopped loving you, that I didn’t think I ever could. In all my life, those were the most honest words I ever spoke. I loved you then, I loved you when I got this tattoo, and I still love you now.” Betty finally took her hand away from his tattoo and allowed herself to look him in the eyes, he too, had tears. “You broke my heart Jughead, even if I’m finding out now that it was all a lie. You destroyed me in a way no one else ever has, and this tattoo is a reminder of that. A reminder of the way I loved you, a reminder of the reason why I refuse to ever give my heart to someone else that way again.” She sighed, taking a step back causing Jughead’s hand to slip away from her tattoo. 

“I know I will never be able to make up for it. But I am so sorry Betts. I never wanted to hurt you, but I needed to protect you.” 

“You did the one thing that could actually hurt me.” Despite the circumstances, they both let out a small chuckle at her choice of words. The way she repeated his own from their days back in high school. He knew he deserved it, that there was no way one conversation and revelation would change what he did to her, and he didn’t expect it to either. “The tattoo artist did a great job by the way, it’s beautiful.” She smiled before turning around to go back inside, but she was stopped by Jughead grabbing her arm and turning her back to him. 

“You’re beautiful Betty. You are the most beautiful person I have ever known, and there is not a day that goes by that I don’t think about you, about  _ us.  _ I know it’s been five years and if it wasn’t for Veronica’s store opening, we probably wouldn’t be here right now. But I’ve tried to contact you, gone through Archie and Ronnie, but they always told me to keep my distance, warning me that going down that route would be dangerous for both of us.” Jughead sighed, thinking back to the first time he ever tried finding Betty, “It was a few months after you left, I took some time away from the Serpent's after something happened and I came looking for you. I went to NYU and saw you walking down the pathway out front with some guy. You had this huge smile on your face, and I wasn’t going to ruin that, no matter how much it hurt me to see you happy with someone else.” Tears once again found their way onto Betty’s cheeks, she knew exactly who Jughead was talking about. Her first boyfriend after him, he was nice, but she never loved him, and yeah, she had a smile on her face most of the time, but she wasn’t  _ happy.  _

“I don’t know if I could’ve talked to you then, honestly Jug, I was still healing from everything that happened. He was my first boyfriend after you, but he didn’t mean anything to me. I found myself comparing every date we went on to the ones you and I had at Pop’s or in the trailer, I smiled so he didn’t feel like he was doing something wrong, but he wasn’t  _ you _ .” She wiped away the falling tears before continuing, “A part of me thinks that even now, I’m still healing. When I’m having a bad day, I place my hand over my tattoo and think of you, the way you used to look in that stupid beanie and how you’d hold me when I needed you. It’s always been you, and that’s what makes all of this so hard. I spent years getting used to you not being around, and here you are.”

“Yeah, here I am, and maybe you’d like to try and get used to me being around again.” He smiled slightly, afraid of what Betty was going to say, but all she did was look at him confused, “Archie’s convinced me to take a writers course at NYU and I spoke with my dad, he’s wanted me out of the Serpents for years now, even had money saved up I didn’t know about to help me when I finally decided to leave. Archie and Ronnie said I can stay with them until I have enough to get my own place. Their only rule was making amends with you before starting at the same school and living in the same city.” He took the risk of holding her hands and continued, “I miss having you in my life, Betts, and I’d like to get to know you again. Re-learn all the old things, and learn all the new things, if you’d give me that chance. Maybe we could hang out at a tattoo parlor.” He smirked, joking, but enjoyed the way her tear filled expression changed to a light smile and how she pulled her hand away to smack his arm. 

“I’ll think about it. But right now we have an event to get back to, and I have two friends I need to speak to about keeping things from me.” Betty sighed dramatically, causing Jughead to laugh once more as he followed her back into the store. When they woke this morning, neither Betty or Jughead thought the tattoos they got to remember each other would be what brought them back together. But their smiles remained as the night continued on and they interacted with each other more. Their tattoos told a part of their story, and a new chapter was just beginning.  

 

**Author's Note:**

> Come follow me on Tumblr, srainerobron!


End file.
